On Recycling: Battery protocol

Friday

They seem to be everywhere now. They’re helpful. They’re needed. They provide good service, but when their life is over, they can cause harm. Give up?

Those ever-pervasive batteries.

With more and more electronic devices, gadgets, tools and toys, it’s time for a refresher course about our disposal habits when it comes to all kinds of batteries.

Alkaline batteries are still being used in anything from flashlights to radios to toys, but lithium batteries are becoming more prevalent daily. These mostly rechargeable batteries are the power source of choice for cell phones, laptops, two way radios, cordless power tools, etc.

Alkalines are permitted in the household trash regardless of where the trash is taken, but some towns, like Brewster, are collecting them for recycling.

Most Cape towns have battery programs and residents are strongly encouraged to recycle all rechargeable batteries. Lithium batteries are also being used in electric vehicles (EV), and while they have a long life, their power does diminish over time and they must be replaced with new batteries.

Luckily, it appears that most electric vehicle dealerships will take back spent or defective EV batteries. That’s just good business!

You’re probably asking ‘so what’s the problem here if there are already recycling programs in place and the dealerships take back the EV batteries?’

Well, the problem is that if batteries, including 9V and lithiums, are not properly prepared for transporting to a recycling facility -- even your local town center -- disaster can ensue.

During the period of March 2016 through February 2017, Fire Rover (firerover.com) reported that there were at least 282 fires at recycling centers, landfills and energy-from-waste facilities here in the United States, many of still undetermined origin.

Whenever there is a fire, just like if your house or business burned, a great deal of effort goes into trying to figure out what started the fire. Many times these investigations have to do with insurance claims, but from the waste and recycling industry point of view, we want to figure out what is causing the problem so that we can educate the generators (homeowners and businesses) about how to safely handle their trash and recycling.

We know lithium batteries have the potential to ignite, and while 282 fires doesn’t sound like that many, those are just the fires that are actually reported, and just for the waste and recycling industry.

According to the folks at Call2Recycle (call2recycle.org), the simplest way to manage batteries, especially lithiums and 9Vs, for recycling is to carefully tape the ends of the battery terminals so that if contact is made, the risk of a spark being created is greatly minimized.

Layering on more protection, you could place each battery separately in a sealed plastic bag. The best type of tape to use is either electrical or masking tape, just don’t cover up the battery name.

If you have a battery that is leaking, is corroded or has a split in the casing, Call2Recycle recently issued guidance on how to handle the situation. The preferred method of managing a leaking battery is to carefully place the battery in sand or kitty litter and then contact your local DPW who will advise you about local solutions.

We all love our electronic gadgets and toys and tools, especially their portability and long-lasting batteries. But when the battery won’t hold a charge any longer, please ask your town where and how to safely recycle them.

They do get recycled and their components are used in new batteries and also in some stainless steel products such as pots and pans and even golf clubs!